How Going to College Taught Me to Love My Body

In high school, there were after school sports and activities that we were forced to go to every day after school, so most of us spent about 2 hours a day 5 days a week working out, not even including the days when we had a game! So eventually once there was a transition to college it hit some of our bodies like a ton of bricks. Instead of working out 2 hours a day 5 days a week, that time went to napping; and those game days on the weekend that we used to do, those suddenly became parties and wine nights with your girls.

I know for me, I was not ready for my body to gain the dreaded “Freshman 15”. I suddenly found my favorite shorts in high school that I wore almost every summer begin to feel tighter and tighter in the thighs and waist. Then that moment comes, after eating nothing but college food and replacing working out with napping and binge drinking finally caught up, and your high school body is gone.

Honestly, when I came to the realization that the way I looked in high school was not the way I looked anymore I was slightly embarrassed. I didn’t want to go home and see my high school friends, or even my parents because I was scared of the silent judgments, looks, and words that could be said behind my back about my appearance. I tried going to the gym in my free time but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get it back to exactly the way it was. Then it dawned on me, maybe just because I’m not as skinny as I was in high school, doesn’t mean I should feel embarrassed of how I look.

There were plenty of ways that I could get back to the “high school” look, but then I didn’t want to. I began to like my bigger thighs, but I still wanted to do something to help my body stay healthy. I started eating a salad at least three times a week, and in my free time before bed, I started doing yoga to relax my mind and work my body, which has actually made me sleep better! UB gave me plenty of options to stay fit and plenty of food options if I wanted to eat healthier, I just had to look.

Overall, so what if you body changes when you go to college, a little more weight just means a little more to love!

College is hard. We make it easier!

About The Author

I am a sophomore and Communications major here at the University at Buffalo. I was editor of my high school newspaper, was a research intern at the Radler Foundation located in Fort Worth, Texas, and wrote many articles for Todd Hobin's new website. I'm very into music, movies, and media and am very happy to be a part of the Her Campus community!